Hollywood power couple Viola Davis and Julius Tennon craft a nurturing Los Angeles home that prioritizes inspiration and relaxation in equal measure TEXT BY MAYER RUS PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANK FRANCES STYLED BY AMY CHIN
T he walls of the and dreamlike, an effect buoyed by its subtle grisaille palette. conjoined living and Upon closer inspection, the sky scene takes a blustery turn. dining rooms in Somehow, the pattern manages to capture seemingly contra- the Los Angeles home dictory illusions—the tempest itself and the calm, quiet eye of actor-producers at the center of the storm. Viola Davis and Julius Tennon are wrapped The Fornasetti pattern dovetails neatly with the multiva- in Barnaba Fornasetti’s lent character of Davis and Tennon’s Toluca Lake abode, cloud wallpaper. which the couple had inhabited, along with their 12-year-old Ever popular among daughter, Genesis, for roughly five years before embarking aesthetes and design on a renovation with LA designer Michaela Cadiz. They wanted their home to be less sparse and austere, yet they have cognoscenti, the a marked aversion to clutter. They craved color to brighten the formerly monochromatic scheme, just not crazy color. “I beloved pattern is always want to go big and bold, but not too bold, not garish,” says Davis, the acclaimed Oscar-, Emmy-, and Tony-winning paradoxical, simultaneously suggesting tranquility and turbulence. From a distance, the cloudscape appears pillowy
RIGHT FRONTGATE CHAISE LONGUES LINE THE POOL. LEFT THE LIVING ROOM IS OUTFITTED IN FORNASETTI WALLPAPER BY COLE & SON, DANNY KAPLAN STUDIO LAMPS THROUGH LAWSON- FENNING, A BENI OURAIN RUG THROUGH BADIA DESIGN, AND CURTAINS OF A SCHUMACHER LINEN. actor and founder (with Tennon) of JuVee Productions, a Cadiz and her team obliged their high-profile clients with company that develops film, television, theater, virtual reality, soothing, sophisticated interior ensembles where understated and digital projects. “We were working in South Africa, backgrounds are punctuated with vivid artworks and decora- shooting The Woman King, while the renovation was unfold- tive accents, many in the form of graphic wallpapers: a metallic ing, and we were inspired by the incredible color and culture Matthew Williamson design with a dragonfly motif—symbol- there,” Davis adds. izing transformation and self-realization—on the ceiling of the primary dressing room; a coral-toned palm frond paper in a Cadiz, who grew up in Hollywood and worked for years guest room; and, in the home gym, a dynamic hand-screened as a set decorator before moving into residential design, wall covering derived from Andy Warhol’s Polaroids of clearly understood the assignment. “Viola and Julius have Muhammad Ali. “When you think about The Champ, you think such vibrant personalities, but their house was very mini- about his courage and resilience, his contributions to the US mal—50 shades of gray,” the designer observes. “They asked and the world,” Tennon says of the, um, punchy pattern. Adds for something not too fussy or pretentious, something com- Davis, “Having him there, watching you, really keeps you on the fortable, a place to relax and recoup their energy. But they treadmill.” (Based on the physicality of her extraordinary perfor- also wanted something special, a feast for the eyes and the mance in The Woman King, the motivation has clearly paid off.) spirit. Finding the right mix was the key,” she continues. ARCHDIGEST.COM 51
THE DINING ROOM HAS A VISUAL COMFORT CHANDELIER, CLIENTS’ OWN CHAIRS COVERED IN LARSEN AND MARIAFLORA (THROUGH QUINTUS) FABRICS, AND A CUSTOM CHERRY TABLE DESIGNED BY TENNON.
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE THE PRIMARY CLOSET IS CROWNED WITH A MATTHEW WILLIAMSON DRAGONFLY WALLPAPER THROUGH OSBORNE & LITTLE. REJUVENATION PENDANTS, ROHL FAUCETS, THERMADOR DISHWASHER, WOLF RANGE AND HOOD, AND NICKEY KEHOE STOOLS IN THE KITCHEN. A CONSTELLATION OF AWARDS AND MEMENTOS ADORNS THE OFFICE. “I always want to go big and bold, but not too bold, not garish,” says Davis. ARCHDIGEST.COM 53
“It’s good to have furniture that tells stories, things with history,” Tennon says. LEFT IN THE PRIMARY BATH, AN ASHLEY CHILDERS SWIVEL CHAIR FOR GLOBAL VIEWS AND A SHADE OF AN S. HARRIS SILK. BELOW THE BEDROOM OF DAUGHTER GENESIS HAS SERENA & LILY HANGING CHAIRS AND A NICKEY KEHOE COVERLET.
Despite their bustling careers THE PRIMARY BEDROOM IS FURNISHED WITH CURTAINS OF and hectic schedules, when HOULÈS FABRIC AND TRIM, VINTAGE BEDSIDE TABLES, AN ASTEK home Davis and Tennon enjoy spending time in the WALL COVERING, AND A NICKEY KEHOE COVERLET. kitchen—centered on an expansive island beneath The color palette in the primary suite kicks up a notch glass globe pendants—which in the cozy sitting room off the bedroom, where pinks, golds, is no mere showpiece. “Right and hints of green animate the subdued backdrop. The fur- now we’re preparing to have nishings include a pair of midcentury lounge chairs garnered 50 people for Thanksgiving, at a Hancock Park estate sale. “It’s good to have furniture that and Viola and I are doing all the cooking. We’re not playing,” tells stories, things with history,” Tennon avers, describing the Tennon insists, before offering some sage advice on preparing vintage pieces and auction finds that pepper the house. Indeed, a succulent smoked turkey. If the kitchen is the social heart he’s something of an authority—aside from his extensive act- of the home, the couple’s bedroom, bathed in shades of pale ing and producing credits, he spent nearly a decade working yellow and ivory, is its placid soul. In addition to employing in a Santa Monica furniture showroom called Prince of Wales, plush appointments and muted colors, Cadiz enlarged the tub which specialized in English antiques and reproductions. in the bath to accommodate the couple’s penchant for bathing together after long days on the set and in the spotlight. “We A fuller picture of the couple’s rich and varied lives—before talk, we laugh hysterically, we reconnect,” Davis says of the and after their fateful meeting on the set of the CBS medi- indispensable amenity. “Our definition of home is a sanctuary, cal drama City of Angels in 1999—emerges in the home office, and this is definitely a sanctuary.” where Cadiz edited and organized a trove of photographs, mementos, and accolades. “Honestly, I didn’t go in there much before the renovation. It was too overwhelming. The trophies are still there, but they don’t feel like the main conversation. It’s much more serene,” Davis explains. “When people come to the house, I want them to walk into our lives. And our lives are much more expansive than just an Oscar or a Tony.” ARCHDIGEST.COM 55
LONDON ART: ERNESTO BURGOS. OTIS JONES/ NINO MIER GALLERY. © ED RUSCHA/ GAGOSIAN. © 2023 ESTATE OF LOUISE NEVELSON / ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK. IN THE DRAWING ROOM, TWO PIERRE AUGUSTIN ROSE SOFAS IN A PIERRE FREY MOHAIR AND TWO VINTAGE OTTO SCHULZ CHAIRS IN A LORO PIANA FABRIC ENCIRCLE A HONED-STONE COCKTAIL TABLE FROM STAHL + BAND. 1950s ITALIAN TRIPOD FLOOR LAMP; FLOOR-TO-CEILING LAMP BY DIMORESTUDIO; CIRCA 1880 INDIAN RUG.
CALLING Los Angeles–based designer Olivia Williams updates a classic Notting Hill town house for a young family TEXT BY MITCHELL OWENS PHOTOGRAPHY BY HENRY BOURNE STYLED BY MICHAEL REYNOLDS
ART: SANAM KHATIBI/ RODOLPHE JANSSEN, BRUSSELS AND P·P·O·W, NEW YORK. © 2023 ESTATE OF RON GORCHOV / ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK. MARIO AND CHANTAL SPANICCIATI WITH THEIR FOUR CHILDREN IN THE DRAWING ROOM. GINO SARFATTI HANGING LIGHT; CAMALEONDA SECTIONAL BY MARIO BELLINI FOR B&B ITALIA; HANDWOVEN WOOL TAPESTRY BY SANAM KHATIBI.
RIGHT IN THE LIBRARY, A PAIR OF VINTAGE TRE PEZZI CHAIRS BY FRANCO ALBINI AND FRANCA HELG FACE AN INI ARCHIBONG TABLE. HANGING LIGHT BY GIOPATO & COOMBES; BESPOKE BOOKSHELVES DESIGNED BY MICHAELIS BOYD. O nce upon a time, there was a house that had seen better days. “I loved her simplicity and aesthetic,” says Chantal, while Back in the middle of the 19th century, it had been constructed Williams recalls the couple’s “calm and gentle demeanor,” as a private residence in Notting Hill, one of London’s prettiest adding that “in this business, what’s important is to work with neighborhoods. By the 1920s, it had come down in the world, people you like.” A house in Montana for the growing family reconstituted into a “ladies’ residential club” (read: boarding came into Williams’s hands, and then, when the Spanicciatis house for women), and then, after the Second World War, it prepared to relocate to London, they knew precisely whom to had become a hotel. The hotel was eventually divided into call. Even if it meant having to conduct many tasks at long apartments, one occupied by a young magician advertising for distance, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The couple had a beautiful assistant. Today, a different type of sorcery—aes- only visited the house once or twice before the lockdowns thetic, architectural, familial—has brought it to domestic life began, and did not set foot inside until everything was complete. again, a life ringing with lessons taken on an upright piano in the dining room, board games in the living room, and four The house is a Grade II property, meaning that alterations lively children dashing in and out of the garden. would be strictly controlled, if not entirely forbidden; but the couple’s London architects, Michaelis Boyd, are dab hands at “Until this project, I never thought I’d be so invested in dealing with imposed limitations and making inventive inser- bunk beds,” says Los Angeles–based interior decorator Olivia tions. That would be the underground pool that the Spanicciatis Williams. The parents of the youngsters are Chantal Spanicciati, desired: a mysterious, contemplative, partly skylit amenity, a former designer herself who now works as a therapist pro- clad in honed Atlantic stone and tadelakt, that was inspired by moting mental well-being, and her husband, Mario Spanicciati, Therme Vals, Peter Zumthor’s iconic spa in Switzerland, where a software entrepreneur. They had met Williams back in Chantal has family roots. “It’s a bit of a challenge to bring a California, but the designer’s schedule could not accommodate house into the 21st century yet to be respectful of its heritage,” them as clients. Still, neither Williams nor the Spanicciatis says Tim Boyd, a cofounder of the firm. The pool, for example, forgot the instant camaraderie. was built under the garden, rather than directly beneath the ARCHDIGEST.COM 59
THE KITCHEN CABINETRY WAS FABRICATED BY PLAIN ENGLISH WITH BRECCIA CAPRAIA MARBLE COUNTERTOPS. WATERWORKS SINK FITTINGS; ROMAN SHADES OF A GEORGE SPENCER DESIGNS PRINTED LINEN THROUGH CLAREMONT; FARROW & BALL PAINTS ON WALLS AND CABINETS; ARTWORK BY MARY WEATHERFORD. house, in order not to tamper with the building’s historic hier- Call it sophistication with the comfort of a bear hug. ART: © MARY WEATHERFORD/ GAGOSIAN. © 2023 ESTATE OF PABLO PICASSO / ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK. archy. “Since we couldn’t knock out or change partitions, very Curving Mario Bellini sofas meet low-slung 1960s Otto Schulz little was done structurally. We were all keen to preserve the armchairs in the drawing room, where board games are stored original cornicing, the baseboards, and the dado rail while also in a chic circa 1930 French cabinet-on-stand and the seating reinstating historical features that were relevant.” is grouped around a Dimorestudio lamp that stretches from floor to ceiling with acrobatic grace. A handblown glass light THE RESULTS ARE A LESSON in how a past-perfect envelope can fixture dangles like a space-age hammock over the dining happily accommodate a contemporary spirit. “We’re a vibrant room’s rectilinear Mario Bellini chairs, the illuminator’s relaxed family, so I wanted to keep it subtle,” Chantal explains of the profile echoing the Victorian cornice’s undulating details. “It’s serene decor. Neutrals, yes, but there’s barely a bit of beige in how we want to feel inside,” says Chantal, whose own former sight. Instead, the walls of the primary rooms, including the design practice was attuned to mental well-being. “Peaceful kitchen, are largely covered in pale paints or watercolor paper and calm and present.” that has a suede-like effect, with the architectural details painted to match or complement. It’s a color that causes the Upstairs in the bedrooms, though, color and pattern and leafy views—a tree-lined square out front and a deep, luxuri- whimsy rule. (Except for the creamy main one and its blush- ous, and invitingly livable garden at back, designed by Butter pink bath: Like all parents, the Spanicciatis need a quiet Wakefield Garden Design—to pop like C-prints. So does the after-hours escape.) One daughter’s room features a curtained couple’s art, a quietly provocative assemblage of works by Sam bunk bed offset with a wall covering patterned with cascades Gilliam, Ron Gorchov, and Sanam Khatibi, the last being a of rosy clematis blossoms. Another child’s room is dressed wall-spanning paradisiacal tapestry that brings the views into in a hand-painted sprigged wallpaper, and the youngsters’ en the family room. Additional warmth is provided by traces of suite baths are paved with identical marble-mosaic floors yet polished brass and white-oak flooring. But Williams’s creative differentiated by towels with individualized borders. Add to triumph is her marrying of antiques and vintage furnishings that peals of laughter, rushing footsteps, and sing-alongs, and with sculpturally plump upholstered seating that looks as com- you’ve got rooms that are “lived in in a completely contempo- fortable to nap on as it does to roughhouse on (within reason). rary way,” Williams says. “But it still feels like a beautiful old terrace house.” 60 ARCHDIGEST.COM
CIRCA 1980 SUEDE CHAIRS BY MARIO BELLINI FOR CASSINA SURROUND A RUEMMLER DINING TABLE. GHOST PENDANT LIGHT BY BRIAN THOREEN, HÉCTOR ESRAWE, AND EMILIANO GODOY WITH NOUVEL FOR VISSIO; CUSTOM STEEL-AND-GLASS SIDE CABINET BY CHRISTOPHE CÔME; MIRROR PAINTING BY KIKO LÓPEZ.
A PHILIPPE ANTHONIOZ PLASTER LIGHT FROM RALPH PUCCI HANGS IN THE PRIMARY BEDROOM. CUSTOM BED COVERED WITH A ROSE UNIACKE SPREAD; ARTWORK BY HEIDI BUCHER (OVER FIREPLACE). BELOW BRECCIA CAPRAIA MARBLE DEFINES THE PRIMARY BATH.
BELOW THE GARDEN FAÇADE. RIGHT A TUB BY THE WATER MONOPOLY WITH WATERWORKS FITTINGS STANDS IN THE PRIMARY BATH. CERAMIC- AND-BRASS PENDANT LIGHT BY ELSA FOULON STUDIO; WALLS OF POLISHED TADELAKT. ART: HEIDI BUCHER/ PATERSON ZEVI AND THE ESTATE OF HEIDI BUCHER. CHRISTO AND “We’re a vibrant family, JEANNE-CLAUDE © 2023 ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK / ADAGP, PARIS. so I wanted to keep it subtle,” homeowner Chantal Spanicciati explains of the serene decor. LEFT GLAZED LAVA STONE TILES BY PYROLAVE COLOR THE LOWER-LEVEL POOL. WALLS AND FLOORING OF HONED ATLANTIC STONE CLADDING FROM GD STONES. ANTONIO CITTERIO CHAISE LONGUE; MIDCENTURY ITALIAN STOOL. ARCHDIGEST.COM 63
“Until this project, I never thought I’d be so invested in bunk beds,” says designer Olivia Williams.
THE THREE DAUGHTERS IN THE BUTTER WAKEFIELD–DESIGNED GARDEN. ANTONIO CITTERIO SOFAS. OPPOSITE IN A DAUGHTER’S ROOM LITTLE GREENE’S WINDMILL LANE COLORS THE CUSTOM BUNK BEDS AND WALNUT WALLPAPER’S CLEMATIS COVERS THE WALLS.
design notes THE DETAILS THAT MAKE THE LOOK NARROW PLEAT PORCELAIN THE WALLS IN A LIGHT; FROM DAUGHTER’S ROOM $325. DEVOL ARE ENVELOPED IN CUSTOM HAND- KITCHENS.COM PAINTED WALLPAPER BY TESS NEWALL. CLEMATIS MURAL GRENADES WALLPAPER BY WALLPAPER; $134 SIAN ZENG; $237 FOR THREE PANELS. FOR ONE PANEL. WALNUTWALLPAPER.COM ANTOINETTE ZENIA CONSOLE POISSON.COM TABLE; $1,999. SIXPENNY.COM ROOK MIRROR BY SARAH SHERMAN SAMUEL FOR LULU AND GEORGIA; $548. LULUANDGEORGIA.COM THE FLEXI I love the WALL LIGHT combination of WITH RATTAN historic detailing SHADE; $2,375. with a more artistic mix of furniture.” SOANE.COM —Chantal Spanicciati HERBARIUM WILDFLOWER ABATJOUR LAMP BY WALLPAPER; $207 PER DIMORESTUDIO; PRICE UPON ROLL. TESSNEWALL.COM REQUEST. DIMOREMILANO.COM CAMALEONDA SOFA BY MARIO BELLINI FOR B&B ITALIA; $21,284 AS SHOWN. BEBITALIA.COM GLASSY GREEN STRETCH VASE BY MORGAN PECK; $395. THETROVE.CO.UK PRODUCED BY MADELINE O’MALLEY
AT THE KITCHEN TABLE, ARTIST’S CHAIRS THISTLE LINEN; BY MATTHEW COX ARE CUSHIONED IN $205 PER YARD. GEORGE SPENCER DESIGNS’ THISTLE LINEN GEORGESPENCER.COM TO MATCH THE ROMAN SHADES. 22-KARAT-GOLD-GLAZED SHROOM LAMP BY MATTHIAS VRIENS FOR ATELIER MVM; $4,500. ATELIERMVM.COM CHIMAY FABRIC; TO THE TRADE. DESIGNERSGUILD.COM THE ARTIST’S CHAIR; $2,090 WITH CUSHION. MATTHEWCOX.COM VICTORIA FOOTED They live a very IN THE KITCHEN, CABINETRY DISH BY ASTIER modern life in BY PLAIN ENGLISH FEATURES DE VILLATTE; $266. this old house.” —Olivia Williams BRECCIA CAPRAIA JOHNDERIAN.COM MARBLE WORK TOPS. JOYCE CABINET; $10,885. PINCHDESIGN.COM INTERIORS: HENRY BOURNE. ATELIER MVM LAMP: DUSAN VUKSANOVIC. FRENCH DIMORESTUDIO LAMP: SIMONE FIORINI. ALL OTHERS COURTESY OF THE COMPANIES. SARRANCOLIN SIDE TABLE; $10,775. ROSEUNIACKE.COM AR C H DI G E S T. CO M 67
farm fresh TATIANA BAIBABAEVA AND TYSON STRANG OF TERRA COLL HOME IN MALLORCA, SEATED IN THEIR BEDROOM WINDOW. OPPOSITE THE COUPLE ADDED THREE STEPS TO THE OUTDOOR STAIRS IN ORDER TO REACH THAT OPENING, ONCE THE DOOR TO A HAYLOFT.
A ceramics duo revives a historic finca on the island of Mallorca—and discovers a new creative calling along the way TEXT BY SAM COCHRAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY SALVA LÓPEZ
T yson Strang and Tatiana Baibabaeva open-ended stay, and their renovation a catalyst for jobs across never imagined that they would the island. “The whole thing has been very one step at a time,” relocate from New York City to notes Strang, likening the process to “discovering new trees as Mallorca full-time, let alone that the we went deeper into the forest.” move would spark an interior-design career. But the Balearic fates had Curiosity has always served them well. Back in New York, surprises in store for this creative the two first picked up ceramics as a hobby, heading to the couple, founders of the hit ceramics studio on nights and weekends to experiment with glazes and studio Terra Coll Clayworks. After silhouettes. (At the time, she worked in fashion; he was an a 2015 home exchange introduced them to the agrarian heart assistant principal at a public school.) When ABC Carpet & of the island, the duo dreamed of a local summer escape, Home hosted an open call for new makers, they each signed eventually buying a finca to make their own. What was meant up. But on the day of the event, they spontaneously joined to be a short-term trip in autumn 2020 then became an forces, mixing their respective wares into one display and ultimately wowing buyers with their elemental finishes and
THE POTTERY SHED IS LINED IN A STONE MOSAIC. OPPOSITE THE KITCHEN OPENS ONTO THE LIVING AREA; SOFA BY GERVASONI. intuitive approach to form. Terra Coll vessels soon lined quite minimalist,” notes Baibabaeva, comparing the labor- the shelves of top galleries and boutiques across the country. intensive process to ceramics on account of its drying and smoothing steps. Jokes Strang, “We just figured it out for Today the two share an art practice, a growing family, an ourselves, YouTube video in one hand, polishing stone in the email address, and an ethos—textured, warm, a little wild—that other.” The arrival of their son, Ferran, now three, required they’ve explored at a large scale while transforming their finca. some midnight shifts and clever childcare solutions, such as a “Our first job was to strip everything that wasn’t old and beauti- ceiling-suspended baby jumper where he could bounce while ful in our eyes,” recalls Strang of the farmhouse, which dates Mom and Dad toiled away. (Their second child is due any day.) back an estimated 300 years but had undergone some insensi- tive changes in recent decades. “We kept anything timeworn.” Floors inside and out are covered in their take on tradi- tional pebble mosaics, with radiating patterns that call to mind With the original stonework revealed, the duo began their the swirling lines of Zen rock gardens or the geometries of own interventions, learning new techniques as they tackled mandalas. Their bespoke mortar—a mix of cement and local surfaces by hand. Walls were slathered in natural tadelakt, a sand—achieves just the right hue, balancing the palette while waterproof Moroccan plaster. “It’s soft to the touch, beautiful, ARCHDIGEST.COM 71
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT RIVER-STONE FLOORING AND TADELAKT WALLS IN THE DOWNSTAIRS BATH. THE COUPLE CREATED BUILT-IN BENCHES FOR THE FIREPLACE AREA. IN THEIR BEDROOM, A CUSTOM PLATFORM BED WITH PARACHUTE LINENS AND A VERTICAL OLIVE BRANCH. “Mallorca has always been about nature, the proximity of the mountains and the sea.” —Tyson Strang
AFTER ADDING A MODEST SQUARE POOL, THE COUPLE USED ANY TREES THAT HAD BEEN DUG UP TO BUILD A PERGOLA; THE SEATING IS VINTAGE, AND THE COCKTAIL TABLE IS A RECYCLED GRINDSTONE.
TERRA COLL HOME CERAMIC DINNERWARE AND VESSELS LINE THE KITCHEN, WHICH WAS MADE FROM STONE BLOCKS FOUND ON-SITE. SMEG APPLIANCES; REPURPOSED-OAK CABINET DOORS. evoking the Mallorcan landscape. “As designers we seek out and any added elements of wood or stone at one with the hardworking materials and surfaces that have longevity but that originals. “We embraced that sense of generational layers, the also have a hand-touched organic quality,” explains Strang, idea of an authentic, living, breathing farmhouse,” reflects his other half chiming in poetically: “The finishes are the decor.” Strang. Members of their extended local community have taken note, thrilling to the couple’s proposal for a contemporary FOR FURNISHINGS, the couple repurposed whatever they Mallorcan vernacular. Current projects under the umbrella of could find on the property—a strategy born out of both their new Terra Coll Home interiors firm range from kitchen financial necessity and environmental consciousness. “It was renovations to the transformation of a shepherd’s hut. the cheapest way, but our intention was also to keep things For Strang and Baibabaeva, of course, their home is less true to the land and the spirit of the place,” says Baibabaeva. of a calling card than a sanctuary, a place to express, as he Old baskets were recycled as shades for sconces, a hollowed- puts it, “the spirit of the land, our indoor-outdoor lifestyle.” out boulder (once used for pressing wine) was rolled up the Days unfold at a relaxed pace, with turns at the wheel in their hill for a cocktail table, and wood from a giant wine barrel pottery studio, a former animal shed outfitted with a Dutch was salvaged for the dining-table top. Nature, too, proved an gas-fired kiln. On hot afternoons, the family and their friends invaluable source. The couple incorporated tree trunks and can enjoy dips in the square pool, whose shallow depth limbs throughout the house, whether as a support for the accommodates the property’s rugged bedrock, crags of which office’s floating bench or as shelves in their bedroom, which pierce the pebble-mosaic terrace. Come sunset, the couple can was once a hayloft. There, a vertically installed branch be found perched in their bedroom window, once the hayloft doubles as a visual marker for Strang, indicating where his door, which affords sweeping views of the surrounding terrain. six-foot-two frame can no longer clear the angled ceiling. “Mallorca has always been about nature, the proximity of the Beneath the home’s gabled roof, new and old now coexist mountains and the sea,” reflects Strang, to which Baibabaeva in harmony, with walls sculpted to showcase existing masonry adds, “Now we really know the island.” 74 AR C H D I GES T.COM
“The finishes are the decor.” —Tatiana Baibabaeva THE VIEW FROM THE LIVING AREA TO THE KITCHEN FRAMES ORIGINAL FLOORS, EXPOSED MASONRY, AND THE SINK STATION, OUTFITTED WITH A BOULDER DISCOVERED ON-SITE; STOOL BY A LOCAL CARPENTER FRIEND.
A DAVID SALLE PAINTING WORK ART: © 2023 DAVID SALLE / VAGA AT ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NY. COURTESY OF SKARSTEDT, NY HANGS IN THE DINING ROOM. LAPLACE DESIGN CEILING LAMPS AND CHAIRS (WEARING A DEDAR VELVET); JEAN-MICHEL FRANK FLOOR LAMP; TAI PING RUG.
In a connoisseur’s Paris apartment, Luis Laplace and Christophe Comoy conjure a carefully calibrated setting for masterpieces of all kinds TEXT BY IAN PHILLIPS PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALICE MESGUICH OF ART
“It’s not a rational process,” Laplace says of his approach to displaying art in an interior. “I let myself be guided by intuition.” IN THE MAIN LIVING ROOM, A LAPLACE DESIGN SOFA, MARCO ZANUSO ARMCHAIRS (IN A HOLLAND & SHERRY FABRIC), AND A PAIR OF DIEGO GIACOMETTI CHAIRS ENCIRCLE PARCHMENT- COVERED COCKTAIL TABLES, ALSO BY LAPLACE DESIGN. 1949 PAAVO TYNELL CEILING LIGHT; PAINTINGS BY SŌFŪ TESHIGAHARA (LEFT) AND SALVATORE EMBLEMA (OVER FIREPLACE). 78 ARCHDIGEST.COM
ART: SALVATORE EMBLEMA. © SOGETSU FOUNDATION.
T.H. ROBSJOHN-GIBBINGS KLISMOS CHAIRS PULL UP TO A CIRCA 1970 CARLO SCARPA TABLE IN THE KITCHEN. THE COUNTERTOP IS OF GRAY GANIMÈDE MARBLE, AND THE CABINETRY IS LIMED OAK. t here are many remarkable Right Bank–based AD100 firm in tandem with his partner, ART: YVES LALOY © 202) ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK / ADAGP, PARIS. things in this Parisian pied- Christophe Comoy, and since 2013 has completed countless MAX ERNST © 202) ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK / ADAGP, PARIS. à-terre—a Jean Royère projects for art-world powerhouses like dealers Iwan and cocktail table, a pair of Diego Manuela Wirth and photographer Cindy Sherman, to name Giacometti bronze Pommeaux just a few. Don’t, however, expect him to give you any concrete de Canne armchairs, lighting tips on how to display art in an interior. “It’s not a rational by Paavo Tynell and Max process,” he insists. “I let myself be guided by intuition.” Ingrand, a Carlo Scarpa dining This 5,270-square-foot unit stretches over two floors of table, and stellar artworks by a typical Haussmannian building and occupies what were previously two separate apartments. Propitiously, they both the likes of Andy Warhol, John came on the market around the same time. They also had the added advantages of looking out directly onto one of Paris’s Baldessari, and Max Ernst, most prized parks and of having a location with particular sentimental value to the homeowner. He was brought up in a including an iron-and-wood flat just a few doors away. “It’s a lucky occurrence,” he says. “For me, it’s one of the more magical streets in Paris.” sculpture by the last enigmati- The state of the two former flats was rather less enchanting. cally entitled A Microbe Seen Laplace created a staircase to link them, but otherwise largely gutted them. He was particularly keen to remove their ornate Through a Temperament. moldings. “They would not have blended well with the art,” he says. The brief given to him was for something quintessentially But if there is one thing French, that walked a fine line between being both timeless and contemporary, and was in light tones. “It can get very drab the project’s interior designer Luis Laplace covets more than in Paris,” notes his client. anything, it is the book collection of his American-based investor client. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” says Laplace. “There are tomes signed by famous artists, limited editions, and old catalogues raisonnés. During the installation, I spent hours browsing through them.” That the homeowner has a passion for art is hardly surpris- ing. Almost all of Laplace’s clients do. The designer runs his 80 ARCHDIGEST.COM
ABOVE AN YVES LALOY PAINTING HANGS IN A GUEST- ROOM NICHE. 1961 MAX INGRAND SCONCES; 1950s HANS ANDERSEN TABLES. BELOW A FRANCO ALBINI DESK STANDS IN THE STUDY. ABOVE IN THE SITTING ROOM, A 1980s GIO PONTI CEILING LAMP, A TRAVERTINE TABLE, A 1940s CARLO DI CARLI ARMCHAIR, AND A ROSEWOOD-VENEER AND GLASS-TOP COCKTAIL TABLE. CURTAINS OF JULES & JIM FABRIC; TAI PING CARPET. Laplace’s style is “engaging, but in a way that’s not flashy,” says the homeowner. ARCHDIGEST.COM 81
AN ARTWORK BY ENRICO BAJ HANGS ABOVE THE FIREPLACE IN THE PRIVATE LIVING ROOM. 1950s JORGE ZALSZUPIN SOFA IN A ART: YVES LALOY © 2323 ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK / ADAGP, PARIS. SALVATORE EMBLEMA. PIERRE FREY FABRIC; LAPLACE DESIGN ARMCHAIR IN A LORO PIANA FABRIC; FONTANAARTE OAK-AND-GLASS SIDE TABLE. LAPLACE’S STYLE IS “engaging, but in a way that’s not flashy,” Equally striking is the lighting throughout. Above the says the homeowner. The eponymous designer claims his dining table is a pair of glass-and-brass pendants, whose forms aim is never to make a statement. Instead, he prefers to root were inspired by a 19th-century streetlamp on the Place his rooms in the past and infuse them with a more subdued, Saint-Georges, where Laplace has both his office and apart- effortless elegance. Here, he wrapped several spaces in ment. He designed the model during the first lockdown in limed-oak paneling as an obvious nod to Art Deco master 2020 and sardonically refers to it as “the COVID light.” The Jean-Michel Frank. He also installed simple cornices that Paavo Tynell ceiling fixture in the main living room, mean- hark back to the style of the ’40s, and framed doorways while, looks almost underscaled, but deliberately so. “I think with an expressive green marble. His client is an inveterate homes should be lit in an almost irrational fashion,” notes collector, not only of art but of furniture too. “I buy almost Laplace. “I don’t like it when things are too homogenous.” constantly,” he says. “So we had our own little treasure trove to work with.” Currently on the designer’s drawing board are a multitude of other projects, including residences in New York City, the Among the numerous items Laplace added are several new Hauser & Wirth gallery in Paris, and a small hotel in Capri. Paris flea-market finds, including a charming, unsigned wood There is another closer to home that particularly excites him— table with legs that resemble bowling pins. Not all the art is an apartment on Rue de Bellechasse in Paris’s 7th arrondisse- by big names, either. “What I really love is how our client can ment, where the widow of French writer Alphonse Daudet mix Max Ernst and David Salle with a painter I’d never heard held a literary salon attended by Marcel Proust. “It was there of,” says Comoy. The artist he is referring to is the Italian- that Proust lobbied to win the Prix Goncourt [France’s premier born Salvatore Emblema, who worked largely on jute canvases literary prize] just after the First World War,” recounts Comoy. and whose color palette was influenced by Mark Rothko. Books yet again! 82 ARCHDIGEST.COM
IN THE STUDY, A PAIR OF SVEN STAAF ARMCHAIRS FACE A NOBILIS TEXTILE– CUSHIONED WINDOW SEAT ACROSS A 1960 JACQUES ADNET COCKTAIL TABLE. PILLOWS OF HOLLAND & SHERRY FABRICS; 1960 MAX INGRAND CEILING LIGHT; 1970s BRASS FLOOR LAMP BY HANS-AGNE JAKOBSSON; ARTWORKS BY SALVATORE EMBLEMA.
high A TRIO OF CASSINA SOFAS FORM A SEATING AREA IN THE GREAT ROOM. THE HEARTH/ISLAND IS ENCASED IN BRAZILIAN SOAPSTONE, AND THE WALLS AND CEILING ARE CLAD IN CUSTOM-MILLED WESTERN RED CEDAR SHIPLAP. CALA FLOOR LAMP BY MARSET; VECTOR TRACK LIGHTING BY ARTEMIDE.
style A modernist ski retreat by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects makes a bold statement while respecting its Rocky Mountain setting TEXT BY JOHN GENDALL INTERIOR PHOTOGRAPHY BY JENNA PEFFLEY EXTERIOR PHOTOGRAPHY BY NIC LEHOUX STYLED BY DORCIA KELLEY
In the mid–20th century, More recently, though, a new generation of homeowners winter-sports enthusiasts and their designers is rediscovering the possibilities of modern- allied with deep-pocketed ism in these high-altitude settings. One of the architects investors began to trans- putting their stamp on this landscape is Brian MacKay-Lyons. form Rocky Mountain His firm, MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects, has built towns that had long ago a body of work that has become synonymous with his native gone bust, setting out to Nova Scotia, but has also been growing a portfolio in the create ski and recreation Rockies, including this house for a couple from California. destinations. In those early days, it was not entirely uncom- mon to see modernist structures take root, with many of the That couple came to this project with a shared love for greats—Mies van der Rohe, Richard Neutra, Eliot Noyes, and this part of the world, but they diverged, at least initially, on Herbert Bayer—designing early works in places like Aspen and the architectural approach. As MacKay-Lyons recalls of early Jackson Hole. But in the closing decades of the past century, design meetings, “One wanted to fit in, and the other wanted preferences shifted toward styles drawn more from Old West to make a statement.” The architect found a third way. By kitsch, making houses detailed with heavy rough-cut timber turning to western red cedar as the façade material, he linked and stone. the house to the region’s long-standing building tradition, allowing it to “fit in,” but the shape he proposed—a flattened
LEFT A CEDAR-CLAD BARREL- SHAPED STRUCTURE RESTS UPON A CONCRETE BASE CONCEIVED TO KEEP THE HOUSE’S FOOTPRINT LIGHT ON THE LAND. RIGHT OAK ELBOW CHAIRS DESIGNED BY HANS WEGNER FOR CARL HANSEN & SØN SURROUND AN ASH PP MØBLER DINING TABLE. VECTOR TRACK LIGHTING BY ARTEMIDE. wood cylinder resting on a concrete base—created the kind of FOR THE INTERIORS, the intent was to create a warm minimalist visual impact the clients also sought. environment that would harmonize with the exterior. There are big views, yes, and capturing those was a high priority. It was The form does far more, though, since it is designed to that experience, after all, looking out over the rugged landscape, perform in a tough environment, perched as it is on a steep that first compelled the homeowners to build there in the first slope 9,000 feet above sea level where winds are high, snowfall place. A continuous ribbon window runs the length of the space, is heavy, and the sun is intense. Set in an environment that can facing south to reveal a true panorama of mountain peaks. A get up to 40 feet of snow each winter, a house kept low to the generous overhang minimizes warming from the hot summer ground would come with a big challenge. “Unless you’re Santa sun. On the western end, MacKay-Lyons included a covered Claus, you’re not getting into that house,” says MacKay-Lyons, terrace—a “window seat,” he calls it—where the homeowners who worked with Edge Builders to construct this residence. and their guests can enjoy après-ski sunsets. The concrete podium, which houses guest suites, does double duty, elevating the structure above the snow pack and bracing To create a comfortable interior, those views needed to it from the winds that come ripping through this landscape. be balanced and managed. Too much sun in the summer would With this arrangement, the homeowners enter the house from create a sweltering hot box, but too little of it in the winter above, descending into the main room from the driveway would leave the interiors chilly and dark, so MacKay-Lyons positioned upslope. carefully considered the house’s orientation and each of its ARCHDIGEST.COM 87
There are big views, yes, and capturing those was a high priority. windows to optimize exposure. In this way, he drew from of Piero Lissoni sofas keeps the furniture profile low, empha- centuries-old building traditions. Though the house may sizing the open floor plan of the main spaces. not look like a traditional cabin, it includes the underlying principles of vernacular construction with its meticulous Though he has spent his life in the Canadian Maritimes— attention to site and climate. “This is an absolutely site- “I grew up in a 400-year-old house built by my ancestors,” specific solution,” he says. MacKay-Lyons says of his childhood home in Arcadia, a town in southwestern Nova Scotia—he has nevertheless come to MacKay-Lyons used western red cedar throughout the develop a finely calibrated sense of this alpine landscape, far interiors, creating walls with a custom-milled shiplap and from Canada’s Atlantic coast. “It’s like manners,” he says of bringing a material consistency to surfaces inside and out. his site-specific approach. “You learn them at home, and then “You don’t want to have any more materials than you need,” you take them out into the world.” he says of his affinity for minimalism. Oak furniture—a Thomas E. Alken–designed table surrounded by Hans Wegner Editors’ note: Writer John Gendall is the author of elbow chairs—anchors the dining area and melds with the Rocky Mountain Modern: Contemporary Alpine Homes warm interior atmosphere. In the living room, an ensemble (The Monacelli Press). 88 ARCHDIGEST.COM
LEFT ORIENTED TO TAKE IN THE VISTA, THE HOUSE IS REACHABLE BY SKIS OR SNOWMOBILE AS WELL AS BY CAR. RIGHT A BREATHTAKING VIEW THROUGH THE PRIMARY BEDROOM WINDOWS. RIGHT CAMBRIA’S KENTMERE QUARTZ LINES THE SHOWER STALL AND VANITY IN THE PRIMARY BATH. BOFFI SHOWER AND SINK FITTINGS.
grand finale Berth of Venus Imagine Gaetano Pesce’s voluptuous Up 5 chair inflated to psychologically, so you get a different result socially.” The JONATHAN LEIJONHUFVUD environmental scale, or perhaps one of Verner Panton’s interior upholstered component of the room was fabricated in 54 pieces landscapes morphed into a celestial pleasure dome. Although at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York. “We began with the idea of the Venus Lounge may nod to a variety of avant-garde designs of placing people in different seating positions. It was about creating yesteryear, its conception and execution are tethered closely possibilities,” the architect says. The otherworldly ambience is to the here and now. Architect Adam Sokol of Los Angeles–based buoyed by a massive photogravure of the planet Venus, created firm asap/ conjured the eccentric parlor as the latest addition with artist Paul Taylor of New Hampshire’s Renaissance Press. to X-House, a hybrid business/residential entertaining space A cosmography of pinspots and fiber-optic lighting, derived from designed for an entrepreneur in Beijing. “It’s a place for interactions a map of the stars visible from this location, furthers the fantasy. that you couldn’t have in, say, a restaurant,” Sokol explains. “It’s This may not be the final frontier of business entertaining, but the kind of space where people feel out of their comfort zone it certainly moves the needle. —MAYER RUS
DANIEL GARBER The recipient of multiple important awards, Daniel Garber’s work is found in many of the nation’s most prestigious museums including: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Art. Daniel Garber (1880–1958) Elm Bough, 1940 $385,000 Request our latest catalogue of important American paintings Q U E S T R O YA L F I N E A RT, L LC Important American Paintings 903 Park Avenue (at 79th Street), Third Floor, New York, NY 10075 T:(212) 744-3586 F:(212) 585-3828 HOURS: Monday–Friday 10–6, Saturday 10–5 and by appointment EMAIL: [email protected] www.questroyalfineart.com
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